House of Rhinehart
The House of Rhinehart is a Maar Sulais noble house which rules Caer Goddard. The house's founding father is Rhinehart, and its present head is Lord Hubert Rhinehart. The house is not in good standing with the former House of Struan because they've viewed Struans as traitors ever since the events of the Struan Rebellion. History Origins The House of Rhinehart began with Rhinehart, a supporter of the House of Aurelac who proved his worth during the wars in the past ages and earned his family a place in the Maar Sulais nobility as a result. Since then, the House of Rhinehart ruled over Caer Goddard with strict military discipline reminiscent of the original Lord Rhinehart. Third Age From Peace to War During the Yamatian Invasion the House of Aurelac were forced to relocate from Maar Sul City which had fallen into the hands of the Yamato Empire and the Clergy of Mardük whose magic-fueled blitzkrieg war and the Plague of Nightmares had caught Maar Sulais defenders by surprise. Lord Hubert Rhinehart offered King Remy Aurelac a place to stay in his city and worked with him to plan a counterstrike against the invaders as one of the king's generals and chief advisors. Yamatians soon learned of the missing Maar Sulais king's whereabouts and began besieging Caer Goddard while their dark cleric allies bombarded the citizens with horrible magical nightmares courtesy of High Cleric Distreyd Thanadar XII. Although the defenders became weary over several weeks of the siege and because of the mental strain put on them by Distreyd's spells, they held on as King Remy told them that help would come soon once the forces of the House of Struan would arrive from Port Cedric to boost their forces. Betrayal and Retribution The Struans arrived late, however, and attacked just as Yamatians were breaching the defenses of Caer Goddard. In the resulting chaos many of the citizens of Caer Goddard fell to Struan blades, and even King Remy himself fell during the battle. Hubert Rhinehart was crippled and captured for later questioning by Yamatian interrogators, and his city was taken from him while he could do nothing but watch. He later learned of Martin Struan having become the Lord Protector of Maar Sul under Yamatian blessing, and he realized that the Struans' actions in the battle had been nothing but a part of Martin's elaborate plan to get rid of the Aurelacs without raising suspicion and get the throne for himself. Eventually the army of the Grand Alliance arrived in Maar Sul to liberate it from the Yamatian yoke. Caer Goddard was liberated, and Hubert learned that Remy's son, Prince Kagetsu II, was one of the generals of the Alliance. Although he couldn't participate in battles much to his annoyance because of his condition, Hubert used his strategic mind instead to aid the Alliance in liberating the rest of Maar Sul and restoring the kingdom to its people. Martin Struan was deposed and executed for high treason, his Struan Rebellion ended, and Kagetsu was crowned king. The surviving Struans pleaded for amnesty from their new king and liege lord, claiming that Martin had worked of his own accord as the head of the family. Kagetsu relented and let the Struans keep their heads but stripped them of their noble rank as punishment for participating in the rebellion. Hubert, however, would've wanted to see every Struan put to the blade or hanged because in his view the Struans had committed high treason against king and country, which Hubert viewed as the worst of crimes. Hubert swore to never trust a Struan again and would voice his displeasure in the years to come. Planning Ahead The Great War between the Grand Alliance and the Yamato Empire came to a sudden end when the Cataclysm struck. Maar Sul spent the decade following the Cataclysm by rebuilding and restoring its wealth although contact with other kingdoms waned. Hubert kept viewing Struans with suspicion and made sure that his children, Edmund Rhinehart and Hildegard Rhinehart, would not trust the Struans either. Peace troubled Hubert who had a knight's mind and eagerness for combat. He began planning ahead for eventual conflicts while Maar Sul was ruled by the temporary monarch, Prince Leon Alcibiates, until the late Kagetsu II's son and heir, Prince Gerard Aurelac, would come of age. This awareness paid off when the Proninist Party invaded Maar Sul in 1016 AE. While several cities fell to the Proninists who had infiltrators in Maar Sulais cities to weaken them from within such as in Victoire, Rhinehart's harsh, disciplined men prevented any Proninist cells from attempting a similar coup taking place in Caer Goddard. When Prince Leon asked for troops to escort Chancellor Sen Wisteria to Remon to ask for help from their old Alliance comrades and form a new Grand Alliance to combat the Proninists, Hubert responded by providing the needed knights to ensure a safe trip for the Chancellor and his envoys. The envoys returned a year later with the full might of a new Grand Alliance that marched to Maar Sul. News of it had reached Hubert who was happy that now Maar Sul could finally strike back at the Proninists. He also received word of the crowning of King Gerard but wondered whether a teen could truly have the strength and charisma of an Aurelac to keep the kingdom safe from present and future threats. The Rhineharts didn't stop keeping an eye on the activities of the Struans who had lived peacefully since the war; Hubert insisted on this as he believed in his heart that if the Struans had betrayed Maar Sul once already, they could do it again. By the time the Proninists joined forces with other factions and formed the Crimson Coalition which began the Second Great War, Rhineharts and Caer Goddard sent their knights to fight alongside the Alliance to reclaim Maar Sulais cities from Proninists one by one. Family Tree Coat of Arms The Rhinehart coat of arms is cut vertically so that the left side has a field of blue and the right side has a red stag on a field of gold. See also *Caer Goddard Rhinehart * Category:Maar Sul (nation) Category:Third Age